03x04 - Flaxseed

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FLAXSEED

The Minqin Oasis, surrounded
by the desert on three sides,

is an important grain
and fruit production area in Gansu.

MINQIN COUNTY, WUWEI, GANSU

August is the season of fruits and melons.

Harvesting would take one whole day.

The watermelon farmers
need food to eat on site.

This kind of dried staple food,
juanjuan,
is the quickest option.

FLAX MEAL JUANJUAN

It's a staple food, and also a utensil.

Eating with watermelons,

its burnt and crispy texture
immediately becomes soft.

It's so good.

It's delicious.

It's salty and sweet.

At the same time, it has a rich aroma.

Flaxseed.

They look like sesame.

This is the source of
the
juanjuan's
aroma.

Add salt to season. Grind it repeatedly.

The heat produced from friction

accelerates the spread of aromatic
molecules.

Add oil to prevent it from sticking.

Cover with flax meal to break
the monotonous tone of white bread.

Fold,

roll, and press it.

Smoothly and naturally,

she completes the shape of the dough.

Freshly-baked
juanjuan

smells really good.

Full and soft.

But during harvest season,

fresh food isn't the best option.

Spread and dry them.

Juanjuan
needs to be air-dried.

The desert wind quickly takes away
its moisture.

After drying,
juanjuan
can be stored
for a long time.

But the flaxseed aroma endures.

Flax meal
juanjuan
dipped in watermelon
is so delicious.

BREAD SOAKED IN WATERMELON

HUINING, MINQIN

Flax is produced all throughout Gansu.

km to the southeast,

harvest is proceeding without haste.

After three months of growth,

the flax fruit has become big and full.

The Longzhong Plateau is dry
without much rain.

There's a large daily temperature range.

In such an environment,
the flax accumulates more oil.

Flax came from Central Asia

over two millenia ago

and became one of the main oil crops

in China's northwestern region.

Baked at a constant degrees Celsius,

over aromatic compounds
are activated at the same time.

Bright and thick oil

slowly seep out.

Flaxseed oil gives color
to the dough easily.

Using it to fry white bread

turns them into golden brown.

FRIED SANZI

Yellow rice.

Just one spoonful

of boiling oil is enough
to awaken the aroma of grains.

FLAXSEED YELLOW RICE

The most amazing flavor

is produced when it encounters meat.

The meat of lamb up to three months old
is tender and not gamey.

Stir-frying it with flaxseed oil

releases multiple layers of aroma
until it's golden brown.

Stew them in high heat.

Then, add small and light rolls.

The mutton is very tender,

and the rolls absorb the rich sauce

as well as the nutty aroma
of the flaxseed oil.

MUTTON WITH ROLLS

YONGDENG COUNTY, LANZHOU, GANSU

Mid-Autumn Festival.

Everywhere in China,
people want to eat a certain kind of food.

Mooncake.

Zhang Chenglan prepared the flaxseeds
early in the morning.

These flaxseeds are very aromatic.

They're being prepared for the mooncake.

In Gansu's villages,

they still retain the custom
of making mooncakes in the family.

The family needs to gather

and work together on them.

Use flaxseed oil as the base.

Add tonka beans, turmeric,

rose,

and red yeast rice.

Flax meal is the last ingredient.

This makes it

the leader among the flavors.

A pastry of this size

can be considered the biggest in China.

Yet in Gansu,

it's a common sight
at family celebrations.

The Zhang family's big mooncake

weighs as much as kg.

It's enough to be shared
by the whole family.

Surrounded by steam,

the porous dough stretches,

and its shape keeps expanding.

The complicated and enticing aromas
continues to collide within,

and it bursts out.

The rose is nice and sweet.
The red yeast rice is a bit sour.

The turmeric is fragrant.

Surrounded by the sweetness of wheat,

all the flavors are connected
through the flax's aroma

and embrace each other.

YONGDENG MOONCAKE

This is children's favorite
for this festival.

Different from most mooncakes in China,

the people of Yongdeng have unique
delicacies for Mid-Autumn Festival.

The full moon has risen.

Zhang Chenglan represents her family

in worshipping the gods
with this appealing food.

She prays for prosperity
and a happy family reunion.

Flax was introduced through the Silk Road.

Nowadays,

as the soul of
the northwestern region's flavor,

it has long been integrated into
the daily lives of people in Gansu.